May 3, 2012: The CJS May Ichimoku-kai Features a Small Business Networking Event and Live Jazz!

The Canada-Japan Society's May Ichimoku-kai (IMK) is slated to be a busy one!  We will be featuring, in addition to our regular IMK activities, a Small Business Networking Event prior to the start of IMK, and the return of LIVE JAZZ towards the end of the evening.  You won't want to miss this one!


Ichimoku-kai literally means the "first Thursday meeting" and since 1995 it has been the Canada-Japan Society's monthly social event. It is a great place to make new friends, practise your English and/or Japanese, informally network, learn more about life in Canada and Japan, and most of all, have fun! Our attendees are usually 50 percent Canadian and 50 percent Japanese, all with a common interest in or connection to Japan. At IMK you will receive special food and drink discounts, get to talk to lots of interesting people, and have the chance to win some exciting door prizes.


If you are interested in starting or expanding your own small business, the CJS is featuring a networking event prior to the start of IMK, beginning at 5:30 and continuing into IMK (beginning at 6:00). This will be a great opportunity to meet people with similar interests and experience and expand your business connections and network. The event will feature two speakers, Ms Lynn Woodman and Ms Monika Meulman. 

Lynn Woodman is a voice coach, speech coach and presentation coach who has trained hundreds of people to speak with confidence. Since 1985, she has worked with business professionals from all over the world and in 2007, launched her company, Voice Power. For more information about Ms Lynn Woodman, please visit www.voicepower.ca.

Monika Meulman is a certified aromatherapist and healer and has worked in complementary health for over 15 years. At Healing Muse, she does aromatherapy massage, foot treatments, body readings, and reiki sessions. Monika is also the president of The Canadian Federation of Aromatherapists (cfacanada.com). Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/healingmuse.


But that's not all!  Yes, we will finish off our special IMK evening with the return of the Chris Kao Trio for more of their great jazz!


But that's not all!... Come to IMK and be the first to purchase discounted tickets for the CJS and JAVA's presentation of the hilarious comedy "MOTEKI" being screened at the Japanese Canadian Culture Centre's inaugural Toronto Japanese Film Festival on Friday, June 8, 2012. There will be limited times to purchase these discounted tickets, so don't miss out.


And finally, come hear about the CJS's Annual General Meeting coming up soon on Friday, May 11 at the National Film Board. The AGM is FREE for CJS Members and includes the AGM, a great film, and our famous reception afterwards featuring Japanese food and drinks.


We hope to see you there!  (And come early for a good seat! :)  


ICHIMOKUKAI
Thursday, May 3, 2012
6-10 pm (Networking Event begins promptly at 5:30)
Manpuku Japanese Eatery
105 McCaul Street
Units 29-31 (in the Village by the Grange building, south of the food court)


NOTE: There is a $5 cover charge for non-CJS members. Discounts are available for groups of three or more people.

May 16-17, 2012: Japan-Canada Food Systems Resilience Symposium @ UofT

Concerned, global citizens: here is an event for you! Join the conversation at the "Japan-Canada Food Systems Resilience Symposium" at the University of Toronto on May 16-17, 2012. This interdisciplinary symposium will bring together Japanese and Canadian researchers, decision-makers, and community members to reflect on the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami and their impact on food systems and public health.  What will be the long-term effects? What can local government do to manage food risk effectively and transparently? How can citizens engage with other stakeholders in the creation of resilient food systems, now and in the future?

Through the generous support of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Kyoto University Foundation, registration to this event is being offered free of charge. (Please note that online registration for the event closes on Monday, May 14.)  For more information, please visit the Symposium's website at japanfoodresilience.ca.

May 31, 2012: Kampai Toronto Festival of Sake

Do you like sake? Then you won't want to miss the Kampai Toronto Festival of Sake coming in May! This is the first-ever large-scale sake festival being held at the Distillery District in Toronto and the largest festival of its kind in Canada. Taste over 100 sakes and sample appetizers from partner restaurants. Tickets to this event, being held on Thursday, May 31, 2012, are available now.  For more information, and to purchase tickets, please visit http://kampaitoronto.com/. Cheers!

May 5, 2012: Manga Author Konami Kanata at the Japan Foundation

Attention, all manga lovers! The Japan Foundation and Toronto Comic Arts Festival will welcome Konami Kanata, author of the New York Times Bestselling manga Chi's Sweet Home. Making her first-ever North American appearance, Ms. Kanata is traveling to Toronto to attend the Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2012 and will be giving a special talk (in Japanese with English interpretation) at The Japan Foundation.  She will discuss her 30-year career making manga and spread awareness of the plight of those in the Tohoku Region of Japan who are still severely affected by the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami.  She will be interviewed on stage by Vertical Inc. Editor Ed Chavez, and will be autographing copies of her work for attendees.

Representatives from The Beguiling will also be in attendance to sell copies of Chi's Sweet Home. $5 from the sale of each copy of Chi's Sweet Home sold at this special event will be donated to a Tohoku Region Relief Charity of Konami Kanata's choosing.

Admission to this event is free, but please note that RSVP is required: http://jftor.org/whatson/rsvp.php



Konami Kanata in Conversation at the Japan Foundation
Saturday, May 5, 2012
7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30)
The Japan Foundation
131 Bloor Street West, 2nd Floor